Neighbors working to mitigate noise concerns

Aug. 24, 2013

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Work will begin this week to build a 1,200-foot-long construction platform that will be used to erect the new Tappan Zee Bridge. Pile driving will take place between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays and from noon to 7 p.m. on the occasional Saturday, the state Thruway Authority said.

This will be the second giant temporary platform to go up for the $3.9 billion project. Construction on the Tarrytown trestle started in May.

Both platforms will be used to support a crane, allowing crews to work from the water to build the ends of the 3-mile twin-span.

South Nyack residents, especially those at the Salisbury Point Co-Operative, adjacent to the construction zone, have been anticipating for some time that their lives will be “significantly” disrupted by the noise and vibrations, Salisbury Point board President Catherine McCue said.

“We’ve had dread in our hearts ever since May 2012 when the test pile driving started,” McCue said Friday.

These past few months of work in the river haven’t produced “sustained” or “uncomfortable” noise levels but that will likely change as the work moves closer to home, McCue said. However, a measure of relief may be forthcoming.

Salisbury Point’s board is nearing an agreement with the Thruway Authority and bridge builder Tappan Zee Constructors to soundproof its 120 units featuring more than 1,000 windows, McCue said. The windows would meet specifications recommended by an acoustic engineer.

In June, project officials offered three apartment complexes in Rockland and Westchester approximately $4.2 million to buy and install sound-reducing windows and doors. McCue said the $1 million set aside for Salisbury (from the $20 million program funded equally by the state and Tappan Zee Constructors) wasn’t enough to pay for the windows, security gates and fencing. They have since been renegotiating a slightly higher figure.

“It took much longer than I anticipated but I guess you have to hurry up and wait sometimes to get things done,” she said. “We’ve been very encouraged by the dialogue that we’ve had.”

Brian Conybeare, special adviser to Gov. Andrew Cuomo on the project, said officials have made “great progress” in discussions with Salisbury Point and other residential complexes near the bridge, including The Quay in Tarrytown and Bradford Mews in South Nyack.

“The goal is to reach agreements on the installation of new sound-reducing windows and doors that will help them deal with construction noise during the project,” he said in a statement.